Fire alarm inspection application and user interface

ABSTRACT

A system and method for facilitating inspection of fire alarm systems includes a graphical user interface rendered on a touchscreen display of a mobile computing device receiving selections of inspection results. The graphical user interface includes a testing pane, which indicates devices that are currently being tested, and a selection pane, which indicates devices yet to be tested. The devices indicated by the selection pane are filtered according to the inferred location of the inspector or the inferred order of test. Selection of devices indicated by the selection pane results in those devices being indicated by the testing pane. Results of inspections of the devices indicated by the testing pane are then selected by the touchscreen display detecting gestures (e.g. swipes toward the left or right) corresponding to different results. The results are sent to a connected services system and stored in a connected services database.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/600,509, filed on May 19, 2017, which claims the benefit under 35 USC119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/359,428, filed on Jul. 7,2016, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 15/446,256filed on Mar. 1, 2017, entitled “Building Asset Management System”, nowU.S. Patent Publication No.: 2018-0011461, and U.S. application Ser. No.15/446,289 filed on Mar. 1, 2017, entitled “Building Management SystemMethod and Interface”, now U.S. Patent Publication No.: 2018-0011455,both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fire alarm systems are often installed within commercial, residential,or governmental buildings. Examples of these buildings includehospitals, warehouses, schools, shopping malls, government buildings,and casinos, to list a few examples. The fire alarm systems typicallyinclude fire alarm devices such as a control panel, fire alarminitiating devices, and notification devices. Some examples of alarminitiating devices include smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors,temperature sensors, and pull stations. Similarly, notification devicesinclude speakers, horns, bells, chimes, light emitting diode (LED)reader boards, and/or flashing lights (e.g., strobes), to list a fewexamples.

The alarm initiating devices monitor the buildings for indicators offire. Upon detection of indicators of fire, device signals are sent fromthe alarm initiating devices to the control panel. The device signalsare typically alarm signals and/or analog values. In general, the alarmsignals are generated by alarm initiating devices in the situation wherethe alarm initiating devices themselves determine whether ambientconditions are indicative of a fire. The alarm signals are used tosignal the control panel that a fire has been detected. Alternatively,some devices provide analog values to indicate measured conditions. Inone example, temperature sensors provide analog values for measuredtemperatures. In another example, smoke sensors provide analog valuesindicating smoke obscuration levels. The control panel then determinesif the analog values are indicative of a fire. Additionally, in someexamples, the alarm initiating devices provide both alarm signals andanalog values.

In response to detection of indicators of fire, the control panelinitiates an alarm condition, which often includes an evacuation of thebuilding. Additionally, the control panel may also send a signal to afire department, a central communications or receiving station, a localmonitoring station, and/or other building alarm/notification systems(e.g., public address systems).

Typically, the fire alarm devices are periodically tested by inspectors(e.g., monthly, quarterly, or annually depending on fire or buildingcodes) to verify that the devices are physically sound, unaltered,working properly, not obstructed, properly labeled, and located in theirassigned locations. In general, the term inspector refers to anyauthorized person that inspects the alarm initiating device. Thus, theinspector could be a person that only inspects the devices or theinspector could be, for example, a technician that is also able toinstall, configure, and/or repair alarm systems.

This testing of the devices is often accomplished with a walkthroughtest. Historically, walkthrough tests were performed by a team of atleast two inspectors. The first inspector walked through the buildingand manually activated each fire detection and fire annunciation devicewhile the second inspector remained at the control panel to verify thatthe control panel received a signal from the activated device. Theinspectors would typically communicate via two-way radios or mobilephones to coordinate the testing of each device. In some cases, theinspectors might even have resorted to comparing handwritten notes ofthe tested devices. After a group of fire alarm devices was tested, theinspector at the panel reset the control panel while the other inspectormoved to the next fire detection or fire annunciation device. Oneinspector stayed at the control panel and the other inspector movedthrough the building, activating each device (e.g., applying real orartificial smoke to smoke detectors, for example). Upon activation, thedevices sent device signals to the control panel and the inspector atthe control panel recorded results of the test.

Recently, single-person walkthrough systems have been proposed. In thesesystems, the technician connects a testing computer to the control paneland a first two-way radio. The technician then establishes acommunications link with the first two-way radio using a second two-wayradio and selecting the same radio frequency on both of the two-wayradios. Alternatively, the technician may establish a communicationslink with cellular phones or a paging transmitter and pager.

During the walkthrough test, the technician placed one of the fire alarmdevices into an alarm condition. The control panel detected the alarmcondition of the activated device and sent a message containing thelocation and/or address of the activated device to the testing computer.Next, the computer converted the message received from the control panelto an audio stream and sent the audio stream to the technician over thecommunications link. The technician heard the location and/or address ofthe activated device and verified if the device was operating correctly.The testing process repeated with the next fire detection or fireannunciation device until all of the fire detection and fireannunciation devices of the alarm system have been verified.

More recently, it has been proposed to use connected services systems tomonitor building management systems. In some cases, the control panelshave been given network connectivity to communicate with the connectedservices systems; in other cases, the testing computers functioned asgateways. This has allowed the control panels to report statusinformation to the connected services systems. These connected servicessystems will also often have remote diagnostic capabilities. As such,connected services systems enable communications between a control panelof a fire alarm system and a mobile computing device operated by anon-site inspector and thus can be used to facilitate the inspectionprocess.

During an inspection, the connected services system receives event datafrom the control panel and sends the event data to the mobile computingdevice in real-time. Illustrated by way of example, upon activation of afire alarm device, the control panel receives a signal from theactivated device. Event data are generated and sent to the connectedservices system. The event data are stored and/or logged by theconnected services system and also sent to the mobile computing devicein real-time. The on-site technician is able to view the event data andverify that the fire alarm device is physically sound, unaltered,working properly, and in its assigned location. The technician thenmoves to test the next fire alarm device.

Additionally, self-testing fire detection devices have been proposed andimplemented to varying degrees. In one specific example, a self-testcircuit for a smoke detector periodically tests whether the sensitivityof a scattered light photodetector is within a predetermined range ofacceptable sensitivities. If the sensitivity of the scattered lightphotodetector is out of the predetermined range of acceptablesensitivities, then a fault indication is produced. In self-testingsystems, a device is selected by an inspector for self-testing, and, asa result, the control panel sends a testing signal to the device toinitiate the self-testing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Walk-through inspections remain an essential aspect of fire alarm systemmaintenance and quality control. Fire alarm systems typically include avariety of fire alarm devices, many of which will not includeself-testing functionality. Even for devices with self-testingcapabilities, a manual inspection is often still necessary. Further,many components of fire alarm systems entirely lack network connectivity(for example, fire extinguishers) and must be inspected in person.

Despite advances in fire alarm inspection systems, walk-throughinspections continue to offer several challenges. Many of theseinspections occur in large facilities with complex fire alarm systemsthat will need to be navigated by the inspector. Additionally, theinspection process involves a variety of steps, some of which can bechallenging, including locating and identifying fire alarm devices thatneed to be inspected, selecting specific devices to test and, ifnecessary, initiating a self-testing process, viewing device signal orevent data generated by the devices under inspection in order todetermine if the device passes or fails an inspection, viewing theresults of self-tests conducted by devices, logging the results ofdevice inspections, and sending those results to the connected servicessystem to be stored.

Inspection systems relying on a connected services system to receivedevice signal and event data from the fire alarm devices being testedmust be able to communicate that information to the inspector in realtime, usually via a mobile application executing on a mobile computingdevice of the inspector, which communicates with the connected servicessystem. It would be desirable for this mobile application to facilitatethe walk-through inspection process, address some of the challenges ofthese inspections, and coordinate a variety of types of inspectionsinvolving a variety of types of devices via features of theapplication's graphical user interface (GUI).

According to the present invention, a mobile application of a mobilecomputing device renders a GUI on a touchscreen display. Generally, theGUI includes displayed information about the fire alarm system and itsvarious devices. The GUI also provides a testing pane, which indicateswhich device or devices are currently being inspected. Devices can beindicated by graphical representations or textual information associatedwith the devices, or a combination of both. With a gesture (such as aswipe of the finger, for example), the inspector can pass or faildevices in the testing pane based on the results of one or a series oftests conducted by the inspector. In one example, swiping left fails thedevice, and swiping right passes the device.

The results are sent to be stored on the connected services system. Anadditional feature implements a predetermined delay between when theinspector inputs the results and when the results are sent to theconnected services system (and the device no longer appears in thetesting pane). During this delay, additional input allows the inspectorto cancel the selection, resulting in the device remaining in thetesting pane and the results not being sent to the connected servicessystem.

In addition, the GUI includes a selection pane, which indicates devicesthat can be inspected. As in the testing pane, devices can be indicatedby graphical icons or textual information associated with the devices,or a combination of both. In embodiments, the devices indicated by theselection pane can be filtered according to the inferred location of theinspector or the inferred order of inspection of the devices. In oneexample, the selection pane includes only devices that are physicallynear the last inspected device. In this way, the graphical userinterface facilitates the navigation of the inspector through the firealarm system.

Selection of the devices indicated by the selection pane (for example,by touching icons or textual information associated with the devices)results in the device being indicated by the testing pane as a devicecurrently under inspection. When an inspector intends to test a specificdevice, they physically approach the device and then locate thegraphical or textual representation of the device in the selection paneand select it. The representation then appears in the testing pane,which allows the inspector to pass or fail the device as previouslydiscussed.

Non-network devices, such as fire extinguishers can also be selected forinspection by scanning barcodes or reading a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tags attached to the devices. The device can bepassed or failed via the testing pane, and the non-network devices canbe identified and test results for the devices can be stored via theconnected services system.

In general, according to one aspect, the invention features a system forinspection of fire alarm devices of a fire alarm system. An inspectionapplication executing on a mobile computing device renders a graphicaluser interface on the mobile computing device's touchscreen display. Thegraphical user interface includes a testing pane for indicating the firealarm devices currently under inspection. The testing pane also receivesinput from an inspector indicating results of the inspections. Aconnected services system receives and stores results of theinspections.

In embodiments, the graphical user interface includes displayedinformation about the fire alarm devices retrieved from the connectedservices system by the mobile computing device. A selection pane forindicates fire alarm devices to be inspected and receives input from theinspector indicating which fire alarm devices are currently underinspection. The devices indicated by the selection pane can be based onan inferred location of the inspector or an inferred order of inspectionof the fire alarm devices. Different results are indicated by the inputof the inspector based on whether contact with the touchscreen displaydetected by the mobile computing device corresponds with a predeterminedgesture (for example, swiping). Devices are removed from being indicatedby the testing pane in response to receiving input indicating theresults of the inspections of those devices. However, the removal of thedevices is delayed for a predetermined period of time, and, in responseto further input from the inspector, the devices are not removed frombeing indicated by the testing pane, and the results of the inspectionsare not sent to the connected services system, allowing the inspector tocancel the input of results if desired. Devices can be selected forinspection, and therefore indicated by the testing pane, in response tothe inspector scanning barcodes or reading RFID tags of the devices.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor facilitating inspection of fire alarm systems. A mobile applicationexecuting on a mobile computing device displays a graphical userinterface on the mobile computing device's touchscreen display. Thegraphical user interface indicates fire alarm devices currently underinspection and receives input from an inspector indicating results ofinspections of the fire alarm devices. The mobile computing device sendsthe results to a connected services system, and the connected servicessystem storing the results.

The above and other features of the invention including various noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts, and other advantages,will now be more particularly described with reference to theaccompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will beunderstood that the particular method and device embodying the inventionare shown by way of illustration and not as a limitation of theinvention. The principles and features of this invention may be employedin various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarilyto scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating theprinciples of the invention. Of the drawings:

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a fire alarm system constructedaccording to the principles of the current invention;

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of thefire alarm system, in which the control panel connects to a connectedservices system via a testing computer;

FIG. 2A shows an example of a screen of the graphical user interface(GUI) that is displayed on the touchscreen display of the mobilecomputing device during an inspection of fire alarm devices;

FIG. 2B shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed in response toselecting a fire alarm device indicated by the selection pane;

FIG. 2C shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed at thebeginning of a detected swipe gesture indicating the results of theinspection;

FIG. 2D shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed in the middleof a detected swipe gesture indicating the results of the inspection;

FIG. 2E shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed at the end ofa detected swipe gesture indicating the results of the inspection;

FIG. 2F shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed in the middleof a predetermined period of time during which cancellation of theselection of the result of the inspection is possible;

FIG. 2G shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed after theselection of the result of the inspection has been completed;

FIG. 3A shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed during aninspection of the control panel;

FIG. 3B shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed at thebeginning of a detected swipe gesture indicating a passing result of theinspection of the control panel;

FIG. 3C shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed in the middleof a detected swipe gesture indicating a passing result of theinspection of the control panel;

FIG. 3D shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed at the end ofa detected swipe gesture indicating a passing result of the inspectionof the control panel;

FIG. 3E shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed at thebeginning of a detected swipe gesture indicating a failing result of theinspection of the control panel;

FIG. 3F shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed in the middleof a detected swipe gesture indicating a failing result of theinspection of the control panel;

FIG. 3G shows an example of a screen of the GUI displayed at the end ofa detected swipe gesture indicating a failing result of the inspectionof the control panel;

FIG. 4A is a sequence diagram illustrating how the connected fire alarmdevices, control panel, mobile computing device, inspector, connectedservices server and connected services database interact during twoexemplary inspections;

FIG. 4B is a sequence diagram illustrating how the non-network firealarm devices, control panel, mobile computing device, inspector,connected services server and connected services database interactduring an exemplary inspection of a non-network fire alarm device; and

FIG. 4C is a sequence diagram illustrating how the control panel, mobilecomputing device, inspector, connected services server, and connectedservices database interact during an exemplary inspection of the controlpanel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Further, the singular formsand the articles “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms: includes, comprises, including and/orcomprising, when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. Further, it will be understood that when anelement, including component or subsystem, is referred to and/or shownas being connected or coupled to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a fire alarm system 100, whichincludes fire alarm devices 109, 115, a control panel 102, and aconnected services system 118.

Generally, the fire alarm system 100 is located within and/or outside abuilding 50, which could be residential, commercial, or governmental.Examples of the buildings include offices, hospitals, warehouses, retailestablishments, shopping malls, schools, government buildings, orcasinos, to list a few examples.

The control panel 102 is a device that directs the function of firealarm system 100 by determining and displaying the operational status ofconnected fire alarm devices 109 by receiving alarm signals and/oranalog values from fire initiation devices 109-1, 109-2, among otherexamples.

In a typical implementation, the connected fire alarm devices 109include alarm initiation devices 109-1, 109-2, including smoke detectors109-1 and manually activated devices such as pull stations 109-2. Alarminitiation devices can also include devices that are not depicted in theillustrated example, including carbon monoxide detectors and temperaturesensors. In some embodiments, the smoke detectors also provide analogvalues that indicate a percentage of smoke obscuration or whether thedetector is obstructed.

The connected fire alarm devices 109 further include fire notificationdevices, which generally include speakers, horns, bell, chimes, lightemitting diode (LED) reader boards, and/or flashing lights (e.g.,strobes), to list a few examples. The fire alarm system 100 in theillustrated example includes strobe lights 109-3, which blink to alertoccupants of the building 50 in response to a fire alarm condition beinginitiated by the control panel 102.

Finally, the fire alarm system 100 includes a non-network fire alarmdevice 115 such as a fire extinguisher. The non-network fire alarmdevice 115 includes an identification mechanism 160. The identificationmechanism 160 is used to identify the fire alarm device 100 by providinga unique identifier (such as an ID number or code) which, for example,can be associated with a record for the device by the connected servicessystem 118. In embodiments, the identification mechanism 160 can includea barcode or a radio frequency identification tag, among other examples.

All of the connected fire alarm devices 109 are connected to the controlpanel 102 via a safety and security wired and/or wireless network 111 ofthe building 50. This network 111 supports data and/or analogcommunication between the fire alarm devices 109 and the control panel102. Additionally, in some embodiments, security devices such assurveillance cameras, motion detectors, access control readers, publicaddress systems, and/or intercom systems could also be connected to thesafety and security network 111.

The control panel 102, in turn, is connected to the connected servicessystem 118 via a leased data connection or public network 113, which isa wide-area network such as the internet.

In general, the connected services system 118 facilitates themonitoring, maintenance, testing, configuration and repair of fire alarmsystems by gathering and storing information from connected fire alarmsystems 100.

The connected services system 118 includes a connected services server120 and a connected services database 122. The connected services server120 receives information from various connected fire alarm systems 100typically via the public network 113, and stores the information in theconnected services database 122. The connected services system 118gathers data from fire alarm systems by receiving information reportedand transmitted from the fire alarm systems' 100 control panels 102,including device signal and event data generated by the connected firealarm devices 109.

A mobile computing device 110, carried by an inspector 108, also sendsand receives data to and from the connected services system 118 via thepublic network 113. In the illustrated example, the mobile computingdevice 110 is a smartphone device. Alternatively, the mobile computingdevice could be a laptop computer, tablet computer, or phablet computer(i.e., a mobile device that is typically larger than a smart phone, butsmaller than a tablet), to list a few examples. The mobile computingdevice 110 connects to the public network 113 via a wirelesscommunication link 112 to a cellular radio tower 114 of a mobilebroadband or cellular network or public and/or private wired datanetworks such as an enterprise network, Wi-Max, or Wi-Fi network, forexample.

The mobile computing device 110 includes a touchscreen display 150 onwhich a mobile application renders a graphical user interface (GUI) 152.In general, the GUI 152 displays information received by the mobilecomputing device 110 from the connected services system 118. The GUIalso receives input, for example, from the inspector 108, and sendsinformation based on that input to the connected services system 118.

In general, the inspector 108 can be any authorized person that inspectsthe fire alarm system 100. Some inspectors 108 may also have additionalskills sets (e.g., fire fighting, or technical skills). Thus, theinspector 108 could be a person that only inspects the fire alarm system100 or the inspector 108 could be, for example, a technician that isalso able to install, configure, and/or repair fire alarm systems 100.

Typically, during an inspection of the fire alarm system 100, theinspector 108 places the connected fire alarm devices 109 into a testmode. Preferably, the test mode is initiated by the inspector 108 makinga selection on the GUI 152 on the mobile computing device 110. In somedevices, or in an alternative embodiment, the test mode can be activatedvia an inspector-activated mechanism (not illustrated) such as amagnetically actuated switch or a photodiode sensor triggered by a laserpointer. Upon activation of the test mode for one of the devices, a testmode signal is sent to the control panel 102 to indicate that the deviceshould be placed into test mode by the control panel 102. This enablesthe inspector to perform a test on that device without initiating analarm condition.

After the connected fire alarm device 109 is placed into test mode bythe control panel 102, the device is inspected. For some devices withself-testing functionality, the control panel 102 initiates theinspection by sending a signal to the connected fire alarm device 109 toactivate the device's self test routine. For other devices, theinspection is accomplished by the technician 108 using a testingapparatus 107. In one example, the connected fire alarm device 109 beingtested is a smoke detector 109-1, and the testing apparatus 107 includesa hood that is placed over the smoke detector 109-1. The hood surroundsthe smoke detector 109-1, and the testing apparatus 107 introduces realor artificial smoke into the hood. This artificial smoke should have theeffect of activating the device into an alarm state.

Once activated by either a signal from the control panel 102 or thetesting apparatus 107, the connected fire alarm device 109 sends adevice signal to the control panel 102, which generates event data basedon the received device signal. The event data are then sent from thecontrol panel 102 to the connected services server 120, which stores theevent data in the connected services database 122.

In one embodiment, the event data are then sent from the connectedservices server 120 to the mobile computing device 110 to be displayedon the GUI 152. The inspector 108 then determines the result of theinspection based on the event data and inputs the results into themobile computing device 110 via the GUI 152. The results are then sentback to the connected services server 120 and stored in the connectedservices database 122.

In another embodiment, the event data are processed by the connectedservices server 120, in which case the results of the inspection aredetermined automatically, sent back to the mobile computing device 110and displayed on the GUI 152.

For non-network fire alarm devices 115, the inspector 108 obtains thedevice's identification via the identification mechanism 160. In oneexample, the inspector 108 scans a barcode using the mobile computingdevice 110, which translates the barcode into an identification code,for example. In another example, the inspector 108 reads an RFID tagusing the mobile computing device 110 in order to generate theidentification code. The inspection is then conducted by the inspector108 and entered into the mobile computing device 110 via the GUI 152.The identification code and results are then sent to the connectedservices server 120, which uses the identification code to store theresults in the connected services database 122 associated with therecord for the non-network fire alarm device 115.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of thefire alarm system 100. In this embodiment, the control panel 102 lacksnetwork connectivity and is thus incapable of connecting directly withthe connected services system 118. Instead, the control panel 102communicates with the connected services system 118 via a testingcomputer 104. Device signal and event data are sent from the controlpanel 102 to the testing computer 104. The data are then sent from thetesting computer 104 to the connected services system 118.

In the illustrated example, the control panel 102 is connected to thetesting computer 104, which, in turn, is connected to the connectedservices system 118 via the public network 113. In an alternativeembodiment (not illustrated), the testing computer 104 connects to thepublic network 113 via the cellular radio tower 114.

FIGS. 2A through 3G show a series of exemplary screens of the GUI 152that are displayed on the touchscreen display 150 of the mobilecomputing device 110. In general, the information contained in the GUI152 is retrieved from the connected services database 122 by theconnected services server 120 and sent to the mobile computing device110. Information is also input into the mobile computing device 110 viathe GUI 152 and sent to the connected services server 120.

In particular, FIGS. 2A through 2G show examples of screens of the GUI152 that are displayed during the process of inspecting fire alarmdevices 109. In general, these screens include a testing pane 202 and aselection pane 204.

The testing pane 202 includes a visual indication (e.g. a list or acollection of icons) of which devices are currently being inspected.Also included in the testing pane 202 is text (“Active Elements”)indicating how many or devices are currently indicated by the testingpane 202.

The selection pane 204 includes a visual indication of which devicesneed to be inspected. Also included is text (“Remaining Devices”)indicating how many devices are indicated by the selection pane 204.Which fire alarm devices 109 are indicated by the selection pane isbased on an inferred location of the inspector 108 or an inferred orderof devices being tested, both of which are determined by the connectedservices server 120 based on information in the connected servicesdatabase 122 or indoor location tracking information received from themobile computing device 110, the order in which the devices were testedin a previous system test, among other examples. In one example, theselection pane 204 indicates only devices that are physically near thelast inspected device. In another example, the selection pane 204indicates devices based on the order of devices from previousinspections. In this way, the GUI 152 facilitates the navigation of theinspector 108 through the fire alarm system 100.

In general, during an inspection, the inspector 108 selects fire alarmdevices 109 for inspection from the selection pane 204. The selectedfire alarm device 109 is then indicated by the testing pane 202 as adevice that is currently being inspected. The inspector 108 enters theresults of the inspection into the testing pane 202, after which theselected fire alarm device 109 is no longer indicated by the selectionpane 204.

FIG. 2A shows an example of the screen of the GUI 152 during aninspection. In the illustrated example, no fire alarm devices 109 areindicated by the testing pane 202, and three devices (Device 1, Device2, and Device 3) are indicated by the selection pane 204 as separatedentries 210. 212, 214 of a list 216. Each of the entries furtherincludes, moving left to right, a date on which the device was lasttested “11-22-33,” a type of the device (e.g., smoke detector, sprinklerhead, fire extinguisher, and a model number the device.

Additional information and functions are shown on the screen in the GUI152. For example, the number of failed devices in the current test isindicated in region 218. On the other hand, the number of passed devicesin the current test is indicated in region 222. On the other hand, thenumber of devices currently being tested is indicated in region 220.

The current active location that is being tested is indicated in region228. The location might correspond to a floor or region of a building.In other examples, the location corresponds to a specific loop of thecontrol panel. This region can be changed by selection of graphicalbutton 226. On the other hand, commands to the panel can be issued byselecting graphical button 224. Information concerning the panel isprovided in region 230.

Information concerning the progress of the inspection is provided inregion 250, including text indicating the percentage of devices to beinspected that have been inspected (which is indicated as “55%” in theillustrated example), and a graphical element, specifically a progressbar 252, comprising a failed devices segment 254 and a passed devicessegment 256. The width of the progress bar 252, relative to the screenof the GUI 152, represents a ratio of devices that have been inspectedto the total number of devices to be inspected, and as devices areinspected, the progress bar 252 increases in width. Within the progressbar, the failed devices segment 254 represents the number of inspecteddevices for which failing results were generated, and the passed devicessegment 256 represents the number of inspected devices for which passingresults were generated. The width of each segment 254, 256 correspondsto a proportion of failed devices to the total number of inspecteddevices and passed devices to the total number of inspected devices,respectively. In the illustrated example, the failed devices segment 254is displayed in red, and the passed devices segment 256 is displayed ingreen.

FIG. 2B shows an example of the screen of the GUI 152 displayed inresponse to selecting a fire alarm device 109 indicated by the selectionpane 204. In the illustrated example, Device 1 is selected. Morespecifically, contact with the region of the touchscreen display 150containing a graphical representation 210 of the fire alarm device 109named “Device 1” (in this case, an entry in a displayed list containingthe device's name and other textual information about the device) isdetected by the touchscreen display 150, indicating a selection ofDevice 1.

In response to the selection of Device 1, Device 1 is moved into thetesting pane 202 and indicated as graphic entry 232. The number ofactive device or element in incremented in region 220.

The fire alarm device 109 associated with Device 1 is then tested usingone of a variety of methods, including the methods previously described.In one example, the self test routine of the fire alarm device 109 isactivated by the control panel 102. In another example, the fire alarmdevice 109 is activated manually by the inspector 108 using the testingapparatus 107. In both examples, upon activation of the fire alarmdevice 109, device signal and event data (such as analog values) aresent from the device to the control panel 102, from the control panel102 to the connected services system 118, and from the connectedservices system 118 to the mobile computing device 110. The inspector108 determines the results of the inspection based on the device signaland event data and inputs the result into the mobile computing device110 via the testing pane 202 of the GUI 152.

The result of the inspection is indicated in response to the touchscreendisplay 150 detecting a gesture (e.g. a swipe of a finger or stylus).

FIG. 2C shows the screen of the GUI 152 at the beginning of a detectedswipe gesture for entry 232 indicating the results of the inspection. Inthe illustrated example, continuous contact with the touchscreen display150 starting at a region containing a graphical representation 232 ofthe fire alarm device 109 named “Device 1” and moving toward the rightis detected by the touchscreen display 150, indicating a passing resultof the inspection of Device 1. A similar swipe gesture toward the left(not illustrated) would indicate a failing result of the inspection ofDevice 1.

FIG. 2D shows the screen of the GUI 152 in the middle of a detectedswipe gesture indicating the results of the inspection for entry 232. Inthe illustrated example, the graphical representation of the fire alarmdevice 109 has moved toward the right by a distance corresponding to themovement of the region in which contact with the touchscreen display 150is detected. As a result, the text “Device 1” is positioned more towardthe right relative to the screen depicted in FIG. 2C and some of thetext associated with Device 1 is no longer visible. Additionally, agraphical indication 234 of the results appears, and its size increasesin proportion to the amount that the graphical representation 232 of thefire alarm device 109 has moved along with the swipe gesture. In thisexample, the graphical indication of the results is a colored bar (forexample, green) with text indicating that the result is “Pass”. Inanother example (not illustrated), the graphical indication of theresults includes a red bar with text indicating that the result is“Fail”. In this way, in general, in response to detecting the swipinggesture, the GUI 152 gives the appearance of the graphicalrepresentation of the fire alarm device 109 moving out of the visibleportion of the screen and being replaced with a graphical indication ofthe results.

FIG. 2E shows the screen of the GUI 152 at the end of a detected swipegesture indicating the results of the inspection. In the illustratedexample, the graphical indication of the result of the inspection 234 isnow displayed in place of the graphical representation of the fire alarmdevice 109, which, in turn, is no longer displayed.

At least some portion of the graphical indication of the result of theinspection 234 remains displayed on the screen for a predeterminedperiod of time. In response to detecting contact during thispredetermined period of time with the touchscreen display 150 in theregion in which the graphical indication of the result is displayed,cancellation of the selection of the results of the inspection isindicated. As a result, the fire alarm device 109 for which the resultwas previously selected returns to being indicated by the testing pane202 as before, and the previously selected result is not sent to theconnected services system 118. During this predetermined period of timein which cancellation of the results selection may be indicated, the GUI152 displays a gradually decreasing portion of the graphical indicationof the result 234 in which the size of the portion of the graphicalindication of the result corresponds to how much of the predeterminedperiod of time has elapsed. In this way, the graphical indication of theresult 234 appears to shrink until it disappears, during which time theinspector 108 can cancel the result selection by selecting the graphicalindication 234.

FIG. 2F shows the screen of the GUI 152 in the middle of thepredetermined period of time during which cancellation of the resultselection is possible. In the illustrated example, the graphicalindication of the result 234 vertically spans only half of the regioncontaining the graphical representation in comparison to the graphicalindication of the result depicted in FIG. 2E. As a result of the changein size, the graphical indication of the result 234 appears to disappeargradually from the testing pane 202, starting from the bottom.

FIG. 2G shows the screen of the GUI 152 after the results selection hasbeen completed. In the illustrated example, the fire alarm device 109named “Device 1” is no longer indicated by either the testing pane 202or the selection pane 204, as the graphical representation of that firealarm device 109 no longer appears in either pane. The number of “ActiveElements” is displayed as “0” in region 220, and the number of“Remaining Devices” has changed to “2” in region 240. Devices 2 and 3remain listed in the selection pane 204. The number of passed deviceindicated in region 222 has been incremented to “49.”

Additionally, the width of the progress bar 252 has increased relativeto the width of the GUI screen 152, indicating that the total number ofinspected devices has increased. Accordingly, the text indicating thepercentage of devices to be inspected that have been inspected haschanged from “55%” to “60%”, and the passed devices segment 256 of theprogress bar 252 takes up a larger proportion of the total width of theprogress bar 252.

FIGS. 3A through 3G show examples of screens of the GUI 152 that aredisplayed during the process of inspecting the control panel 102. Ingeneral, these screens include a control panel testing pane 302.

FIG. 3A shows an example of the screen of the GUI 152 during aninspection of the control panel. In the illustrated example, the controlpanel testing pane 302 includes a selectable menu providing a variety oftypes of tests of the control panel 302 that can be selected by theinspector 108. The menu includes graphical representations of types oftests, each of which includes a name and a status icon indicatingwhether the status of the test is passing, failing or unknown. The typesof tests of the control panel 102 listed in the control panel testingpane 302 include “Visual Inspection” 350, “Battery Voltage” 352, “ChargeTest” 354, “Discharge Test” 356, “Charger Voltage” 358, “Function Test”360, and “Install Date” 362. Results for the tests of the control panel102 are selected in the same manner as results for the fire alarm device109 inspections: a swipe gesture is detected, either toward the right toindicate a passing result or toward the left to indicate a failingresult in each one of the respective regions 350, 352, 354, 356 358,360, 362.

FIG. 3B shows the screen of the GUI 152 at the beginning of a detectedswipe gesture indicating a passing result of the inspection of thecontrol panel 102 in region 356. In the illustrated example, continuouscontact with the touchscreen display 150 starting at the regioncontaining the graphical representation of the “Discharge Test” andmoving toward the right is detected by the touchscreen display 150,indicating a passing result of the “Discharge Test” of the control panel102.

FIG. 3C shows the screen of the GUI 152 in the middle of a detectedswipe gesture indicating a passing result of an inspection of thecontrol panel 102. In the illustrated example, the graphicalrepresentation of the “Discharge Test” has moved toward the right by adistance corresponding to the movement of the region in which contactwith the touchscreen display 150 is detected. As a result, the text“Discharge Test” is positioned more toward the right relative to thescreen depicted in FIG. 3B and the status icon is no longer visible inregion 356. Additionally, a graphical indication of the results 364appears, and its size increases in proportion to the amount that thegraphical representation of the “Discharge Test” has moved along withthe swipe gesture. As in the previous example, in this example, thegraphical indication of the results 364 is a colored bar (for example,green) with text indicating that the result is passing. In this way, ingeneral, in response to detecting the swiping gesture, the GUI 152 givesthe appearance of the graphical representation of the “Discharge Test”356 moving out of the visible portion of the screen and being replacedwith a graphical indication of the results 364.

FIG. 3D shows the screen of the GUI 152 at the end of a detected swipegesture indicating a passing result of an inspection of the controlpanel 102 in region 356. In the illustrated example, the graphicalrepresentation of the “Discharge Test” now includes a status icon 370indicating that the result of the test is passing.

FIG. 3E shows the screen of the GUI 152 at the beginning of a detectedswipe gesture indicating a failing result of the inspection of thecontrol panel 102. In the illustrated example, continuous contact withthe touchscreen display 150 starting at the region containing thegraphical representation of the “Discharge Test” 356 and moving towardthe left is detected by the touchscreen display 150, indicating afailing result of the “Discharge Test” of the control panel 102.

FIG. 3F shows the screen of the GUI 152 in the middle of a detectedswipe gesture indicating a failing result of an inspection of thecontrol panel 102. In the illustrated example, the graphicalrepresentation of the “Discharge Test” 356 has moved toward the left bya distance corresponding to the movement of the region in which contactwith the touchscreen display 150 is detected. As a result, the text“Discharge Test” is positioned more toward the left relative to thescreen depicted in FIG. 3E and the status icon is no longer visible.Additionally, a graphical indication of the results 366 appears, and itssize increases in proportion to the amount that the graphicalrepresentation of the “Discharge Test” has moved along with the swipegesture. In this example, the graphical indication of the results 366 isa colored bar (for example, red) with text indicating that the result isfailing.

FIG. 3G shows the screen of the GUI 152 at the end of a detected swipegesture indicating a failing result of an inspection of the controlpanel 102. In the illustrated example, the graphical representation ofthe “Discharge Test” now includes a status icon 368 indicating that theresult of the test is failing.

FIG. 4A is a sequence diagram illustrating how the connected fire alarmdevices 109, control panel 102, mobile computing device 110, inspector108, connected services server 120 and connected services database 122interact during two exemplary inspections.

The first example deals with an inspection of Device 1, which is anexemplary connected fire alarm device 109. In this example, the firealarm device 109 is activated by the control panel 102 during theinspection.

First, in step 402, the inspector 108 approaches Device 1. In step 404,a set of fire alarm devices 109 is indicated by the selection pane 204of the GUI 152. The set of fire alarm devices 109 indicated by theselection pane 204 is based on the inferred location of the inspector108 or the inferred order of test.

Next, in step 406, the inspector selects Device 1 in the selection pane204 using the GUI 152 of the mobile computing device 110. In step 408,instructions to test Device 1 are then sent from the mobile computingdevice 110 to the connected services server 120. In response, theconnected services server 120 sends instructions to test Device 1 to thecontrol panel 102 in step 410.

In step 412, the control panel 102 tests Device 1 by activating it.Device signal and event data are then sent from Device 1 to the controlpanel 102 in step 414. The device signal and event data are sent fromthe control panel 102 to the connected services server 120 in step 416,and from the connected services server 120 to the mobile computingdevice 110 in step 418.

In step 420, the device signal and event data for Device 1 are displayedby the mobile computing device 110, and the inspector 108 determineswhether the result is passing or failing. In step 422, the inspector 108makes a selection via the GUI 152 of the mobile computing device 110indicating the result, which is then sent from the mobile computingdevice 110 to the connected services server 120 in step 424 and storedin the connected services database 122 in step 426.

The second example deals with an inspection of Device 2, which is anexemplary connected fire alarm device 109. In this example, theinspection proceeds in the same manner as with Device 1, except in thiscase, in step 428, the fire alarm device 109 is activated directly bythe inspector 108 (for example, using a testing apparatus 107 such as ahood that surrounds a smoke detector 109-1 and introduces artificialsmoke to activate the device) instead of by the control panel 102.

FIG. 4B is a sequence diagram illustrating how the non-network firealarm devices 115, control panel 102, mobile computing device 110,inspector 108, connected services server 120 and connected servicesdatabase 122 interact during an exemplary inspection of a non-networkfire alarm device 115.

This example deals with an inspection of Device 3, which is an exemplarynon-network fire alarm device 115 such as a fire extinguisher.

First, in step 430, the inspector 108 approaches Device 3 and interactswith the identification mechanism 160, for example, by scanning abarcode or reading an RFID tag using the mobile computing device 110. Inresponse, in step 432, a device identification (such as a code)associated with Device 3 is received by the mobile computing device 110.In step 434, the inspector 108 then tests Device 3, for example, byvisually inspecting the device. The rest of the inspection mostlyproceeds according to the previously described steps 422-426, exceptthat, in step 436, the device identification for Device 3 is sent to theconnected services server 120 along with the test result. The connectedservices server 120 uses the device identification to store the testresult with a record associated with Device 3 in the connected servicesdatabase 122.

FIG. 4C is a sequence diagram illustrating how the control panel 102,mobile computing device 110, inspector 108, connected services server120 and connected services database 122 interact during an exemplaryinspection of the control panel 102.

First, in step 438, the inspector 108 approaches the control panel 102and, in step 440, selects the control panel 102 for inspection via theGUI 152 of the mobile computing device 110. In response, a variety oftypes of tests of the control panel 102 are indicated by the controlpanel testing pane 302 of the GUI 152 in step 442. In step 444, theinspector 108 selects one of the tests of the control panel 102, and instep 446, the inspector 108 conducts the test of the control panel 102,for example, by visually inspecting elements of the control panel 102and confirming whether a series of conditions are true or false. In step448, the inspector 108 selects the result of the test via the GUI 152 ofthe mobile computing device 110. The result is then sent to theconnected services server 120 in step 424 and stored in the connectedservices database 122 in step 426.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the inventionencompassed by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for inspection of fire alarm devices ofa fire alarm system, comprising: a mobile computing device executing aninspection application and displaying a graphical user interface of theinspection application rendered on a touchscreen display of the mobilecomputing device, the graphical user interface comprising a testing panefor indicating the fire alarm devices currently under inspection and forreceiving input from an inspector indicating results of the inspections;and a connected services system for receiving and storing results of theinspections of the fire alarm devices.
 2. The system as claimed in claim1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises displayedinformation about the fire alarm devices sent from the connectedservices system to the mobile computing device.
 3. The system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises aselection pane for indicating fire alarm devices to be inspected and forreceiving input from the inspector indicating which fire alarm devicesare currently under inspection.
 4. The system as claimed in claim 1,wherein different results are indicated by the input of the inspectorbased on whether contact with the touchscreen display detected by themobile computing device corresponds with a predetermined gesture.
 5. Thesystem as claimed in claim 1, wherein devices are removed from beingindicated by the testing pane in response to receiving input indicatingthe results of the inspections of those devices.
 6. A method forfacilitating inspection of fire alarm systems, the method comprising: amobile application executing on a mobile computing device displaying agraphical user interface on a touchscreen display of the mobilecomputing device; the graphical user interface indicating fire alarmdevices currently under inspection and receiving input from an inspectorindicating results of inspections of the fire alarm devices; the mobilecomputing device sending the results to a connected services system; andthe connected services system storing the results.
 7. The method asclaimed in claim 6, further comprising the graphical user interfacedisplaying information about the fire alarm devices sent from theconnected services system to the mobile computing device.
 8. The methodas claimed in claim 6, further comprising the graphical user interfacedisplaying a selection pane, which indicates fire alarm devices to beinspected and receives input from the inspector indicating which firealarm devices are currently under inspection.
 9. The method as claimedin claim 6, further comprising the input of the inspector indicatingdifferent results based on whether contact with the touchscreen displaydetected by the mobile computing device corresponds with a predeterminedgesture.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprisingremoving fire alarm devices from being indicated by the testing pane inresponse to receiving input from the inspector indicating the results ofthe inspections of those fire alarm devices.
 11. The method as claimedin claim 10, further comprising delaying the removal of the fire alarmdevices from being indicated by the testing pane for a predeterminedperiod of time, wherein, in response to further input from theinspector, the fire alarm devices are not removed from being indicatedby the testing pane, and the results are not sent to the connectedservices system.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 6, furthercomprising the testing pane indicating fire alarm devices in response tothe inspector reading radio-frequency identifications of the fire alarmdevices.
 13. A method for facilitating inspection of fire alarm systems,the method comprising: a mobile application executing on a mobilecomputing device displaying a graphical user interface on a touchscreendisplay of the mobile computing device; and the graphical user interfacedisplaying a graphical element indicating a proportion of inspected firealarm devices to a total of fire alarm devices to be inspected.
 14. Themethod as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the graphical userinterface displaying graphical elements indicating a number of firealarm devices that have passed inspection.
 15. The method as claimed inclaim 13, further comprising the graphical user interface displayinggraphical elements indicating a number of fire alarm devices that havefailed inspection.
 16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein theresults of an inspection of fire alarm devices are indicated by a swipegesture on the graphical user interface.
 17. The method as claimed inclaim 13, wherein the results of an inspection of fire alarm devices areindicated by a right swipe gesture on the graphical user interface toindicate passage of inspection.
 18. The method as claimed in claim 13,wherein the results of an inspection of fire alarm devices are indicatedby a left swipe gesture on the graphical user interface to indicatefailure of inspection.